Aeroplane-steering apparatus



Dec; 16, 1930.

R. GUILLEMETTE, A EROPLANE STEERING- APPARATUS FiledDec. so, 1929 3'Shets-Sheet 1 Inventor 74 20 @f/mafi? A itbrney Dec 16, 1930;. R.GUILLI-EMETTE ,3

AEROPLANE- STEERING APPARATUS Filed Deb. 30, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Inventor /L o meo gruff/97411976 6 A ttorney Dec. 16, 19.30. R,GUIILLEMET'II'EI 85 0 AEROPLLANE STEERING 'APBAR-KTUS Filed Dec. 50,192,5 s et -s t f3 Inventor Ey d GZZ Z MPYZ' A ttofne'y Patented Dec.1930;-

UNITED, fsrATEs PATENT-OFFICE Y noMEoeUILLnmnrrE, or 'ramwron,mssacnusn'rrs.

annormnn-srmme APPARATUS Application an December so, 1929. Serial in.417,505.-

This invention relates to aeroplane steer ing apparatus, and an objectof the'inventiOIllS to provide a'selective or simultaneous control forthe rudder, the-elevators, "and the ailerons that is within thereach ofthe pilot and that can be operated from the same steer post. p

' Further Objects of the invention are to provide, in amanner ashereinafter set forth, a steering apparatus of the character re fer-redto, which is strong, compact, durable, very light in construction, verysimple in lts 'method of assembly, adaptable for installation inallstandard types'of-aerop'lanes, and

comparatively inexpensive to manufacture -and install; Y

.With the foregoing-and other ob ects 1n;

view, the invention consists. of "a novel con% struction', .combinationand arrangeinent of parts, as will be hereinafter more spec ficallydescribed and illustrated in the accompanydepartin from the spirit ofthe claims here- Inthe drawings characters. "denote -corresponding partsing drawings wherein is disclosed a preferred embodiment of theinvention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations andmodifications, may be resorted to without toappen ed..

wherein Y like reference throughout the several views 5- Figure lis afragmentary perspective view tudinal'shaft, Fig.8 is a perspectlve'view'of one of, the

- tially on the line 4-4 and steering post with of an aeroplaneillustratingin-dotted lines. the adaptation ofthe present inventionthere-- with, v

Fig. 2 is a side elevatlon, partly in section of the steering apparatus,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof, Fig. dis a verticalsection takensubstanofFig. 2 and looking forwardly,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the frame the elongated sleeve removedtherefrom,

Fig. 7 is a spindle sleeves-and coupling forks.

- Referring to the drawings in detail,"1(l

' the ends of the ailerons edges thereof. v One of the ailerons isclearly illustrated Fig. 6 is the elongated sleeve in disassembledrelation, perspective view of the long1- indicates generally anaeroplane and in the, form shown, is of'the monoplane type. The.fuselage'of the aeroplane is'indicated at 11 and a, pairof wings 12, 13project laterally in Fig. 10f the drawings, a control ,wire 17 on thetop surface of the wings 12, 13 connect. the upper horns 16 of eachaileron together, as willbe clearly-understoodby referring to a Fig. 1of the drawings- From each of the lower horns .16, there extends acontrol wire 18, 19 that are trained over sheaves .20 and theinner endsthereof extend through the fuselage of the aeroplane, and are thentrained througha pair of sheave wheels 21, 22.'supported on the frameof" the fuselage and terminate in a coupling fork 23, 24.

.The coupling forks 23, 24' are pivoted on.

, the bolts 25,, 26 on the free ends of the cross bars 27. As shown, apair of angular shaped fins 28, 29 are secured to the rear end of thefuselage and project laterally in'a horizontal plane therefrom; A pairofelevator planes 30, 31 are rockably mounted at their leading edges tothe trailing edges of the fins.

' Horns 32, 33 are secured to and project from'the opposite faces of theelevators to which are attached the control wires.- As

- shown, the invention is described in connection with a pair ofelevators 30, 31 but it is within the contemplation to use a singleplane elevator across therear end'of the fin and in thisevent, therewill be used onlyone horn similar to that shown at either 32, or 33. 1In the eventthere'is only one elevator plane used, the rudder to bepresently described, will be journaled above'th-e elevator so as notto'interferewith its operation. As shown in the drawings, a. controlwire34, 35 leads from v the lower end of the lower horn 32, 33 and from theends of the upper horns 32, 33, there extend the control wires 36, 37,all of which extend thru suitable openings in the fuselage and projectforwardly to the control mechanism to be' described later.

A rudder 38. is journaled to the rear edge I of a vertical fin 39 andhas horizontal horns I 40 (projecting from the opposite faces thereof, man the control wires 41, 42 are secured to. the ends of the horn andextend thru the fuselage and are connected to. the control means as willbe presently described. 1

A longitudinal shaft 43 is journaled in a bearing sleeve 44, that issupported on the upper end of a supporting bracket- 45, the

lower ends of which are secured to the longitudinal ribs 46 of thefuselage. The shaft 43 is supported additionally by a second bearingsleeve 47 that is supported on a bracket 48 that is also secured to thelongitudinal fuselage ribs 46 which are broken in Fig. 2 of thedrawings.

To the free outer end of the shaft 43, a cross bar 27 is .securedintermediate its ends as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Adjacent thebearing 47, there is a sleeve 49 circumposed about-the shaft and isrigidly secured thereto by a set screw 50. Radiatinilfrom the inner endof the sleeve 49 are-ra ally disposed sto armsdisposed at quadrant aboutI the axis 0 the sleeve. The ,two vertically pro jecting legs 51 arerelatively flattened at the free ends as at 52 tofo-rm abutments orstops. The oppositely; projecting horizontal legs 53 have on their outerends elongated abut- I ments 54, the sleeve 49 being formed 'withacircular extension 55 rearwardly of the four radiating legs which isadapted to telescopically fit in the sleeve 56. The sleeve 56 is formedof two semi-tubular shanks 57, 58

each of which merge into laterally disposed prongs 59, 60 formed with.openings 61 adjacent the free end of the prongs.

The semi-tubular shanks 57,- 58 are each. provided with a pair ofregistering openings 62, 63 that register with openings in the extension55, by which the shanks-are secured to the extensions .55 'with'theprongs 59, 60 projecting rearwardly therefrom. In the assembled relationas indicated generally at 56, the shanks 57, 58, and the prongs 59, 60form a forked sleeve by which the elon-' gated sleeve 64 is rockablyconnected to'the rear end of the shaft 43. The sleeve 64 is' providedwith oppositely disposed pivot bolts 65, threaded on their outer ends toreceive nuts, and. these pivot bolts, are journaled in. the openings 61in the prongs whereby the sleeve 64 is pivoted to the rotatable shaft 43to form aunive'rsaljointv There is a s uare frame indicated generally at66rotata ly supported on the lower end of the steering post 71 havingone pair of; opposed corners disposed vertically and the of, spacedbelow the lower collar 68-, there is formed another shoulder 75. Betweenthese shoulders 74, and 7 5, and the respective col-.

' lars 67 and 68 there are two sleeves-indicatedgenerally at 94, looselycircum'posed about the steering post 71.

' There 'are another pair of isleeves indicat- I ed generally at94,-loosely mounted on the projecting spindles 69 and '70, and thesesleeves, are revented from slipping from the spindles y a pair of rings87 that are coupled to the'ends of the spindles by pins 88 that areanchored in registering openings in the end of the spindles and rings.

Rotatablymounted on the lower portion of the steering post 71,interiorly of the.

frame, and between the collars 67, 68 is the elongated sleeve 64 that ispivotally connectedas heretofore described to the inner end of the shaft43. Since the shaft 43 is rotatable and the sleeve 64 is pivoted "to theend .of the shaft, and the steering post 71 is'rotatable in the sleeve,then the steering post is universally connected with the frame 66.

At the upper end, the steering post merg'es in spaced handles 7 8,7 9which are gripped by the pilot for operating the controls as willbe-described later. Each of the collars, indicated generally at 94 areformed in the same manner, and a description of one will suffice, for aclear understanding of they others. I

The sleeves are formed with a sleeve body portion 78 from theopposite,outer peri heral face of which there extends a pair 0 pins 79, 80.Adjacent the end, each pin is formedwith'an opening through which cotterpins 81 extend for holding the forked coupling to be presentlydescribed, to the sleeve.

Therearefour forked coupling members,

indicated generally at 82, rockableone on each of the four sleeves 94.The forked couplings are each formed in the same manner,

and the following description applied to one of them, will give a clearunderstanding of the others.

The forked couplings are each formed with a shank 83 apertured on itsouter end, the

inner end of which inerges with laterally disposed arms 84, 85 thatstraddle the sleeves 94. The free ends of the prongs are provided withopenings 86', through which the sleeve pins 79, 80 extend. Cotter pins81 extend through the free ends of the pins and revent the fork fromslipping off the pins, a r the forked coupling is secured tothe sleevebed 78. i

90 is secured at its 91 of the fuselage frame, and is formed adm jacentits upper end with laterally extending stop legs 92, 93 to limit therotation of the cross arms 27 that controls theailerons so that excessmovement; will not strain the pivots on the ailerons. v

The stop members 51 and 54 prevent the straining of the pivot for theelevators 30-31, and the rudders also. Control wires 34 and 35 leadingfrom the bottom horns ofv the elevators, 30, 31, are securedto theapertured shanks 83 of the forked couplings 82, at the upper corner ofthe frame 66; The upper controlwires 36, 37 leading from the uper horns32, 33 of the elevators, cross the ower wires 34, 35 in the fuselage,and are 25- each secured to the apertured shank 83 on the lowercorner'of the frame 66. p

The control wire42 on the rudders crosses control wire 41 within thefuselage, and the inner ends of each-are secured to the oppo- 30' siteapertured shanks 83 of the coupling ork on the horizontal spindles 69,70. The aileron controls 18 connected, to the ends, of

the cross bar 27, operate the aileronsin a manner heretofore described.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that a rocking movement tooneside'or the other of the steering post 71,'in any position, will causethe ailerons to rock up or down on their axis. I By rotating thesteering post 71, the frames 66 will be rotated onits vertical axis, inany position, thereby operating the rudder 38 to one side or the other.

By moving the steering post 71 either forwardly or backwardly on pivots65, the ele- 4 vators 30, 31 will be moved v upwardly or downwardly asdesired. It will be seen that the assembled control mechanism hereindisclosed will selectively or simultaneously operate the ailerons, theelevators, .or the rudders, as desired.

It is to be understoodthatby describing in detail herein, any particularform, structure, or arrangement, it is not intended to limit theinvention beyond the'terms, of the several claims, or the requirementsof the prior. art. a

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is v 1. In acontrol mechanism for aeroplanes, comprising a longitudinal shaftadapted to be journaled in a fuselage of an aeroplane, a cross bar onthe. forward end ofthe shaft havwhen the steering post 71 is rotated onits axis. 1 An upstanding armv lower end to a cross rib points the frameand'the co'ntrol wires, a steering sha coupled to the coup control wiresfor the elevators secured to opposite vertical points of the'frame,control ders secured to the frame at points onthe frame thewires for theru opposite horizontal opposed vertical an horizontalpoints aving apivotal connection between the frame P t p i and the control wires, asteerin ing from theframe and secure thereto, and lstop members securedto the shaft and fuseage a for limiting themoveinent of the frame andthe cross bar respectively.

2. In acontrol mechanism for"aeroplanes,..

comprising a longitudinal shaft adapted to journaled in a fuselage of anaeroplane, a

cross bar on the forward end of the shaft having control wires securedto its. opposite freeends for moving the ailerons of an aeroplane, aframe rockable on the sh'aft, at its .rear end, control wires for theelevators secured to opposite vertical points of the frame, controlwires for the rudders secured to the frame at opposite horizontalpoints. on the frame, I

having. a pivotal connection between post projecting from the frame andseen thereto, stop members secured to the shaft the opposed vertical andhorizontal and fuselage for limiting the movement of the a A frame andthe cross bar respectively,.and said frame being four sided wit the 0posed corners disposed in vertical and orizontal position.

. 3. In a control mechanism foraero'planes, comprising a shaft, a bearinsup orting the shaft adapte .to be secured to t e fuselage of anaeroplane, across bar securedintermediate its ends to the forward forrotatably' end of the shaft, a sleeved fork rigidly-se I cured to therear end of and a. pair of col are on across theframe and supported onthe free ends of the steering post and stub. shafts,

cou' ling forks journaled on the spindles, stub and" steerin posts,control means the shaft,'.a frame having 'a pair of spindles-projectinfrom spindles, a stub shaftmg forks for the eleva- I tors and therudder, and control means connected to the free ends of the cross barfor the ailerons. 7

, Intestimon whereof I aflix m signature. 1OMEO TTE.-

ing control wires secured to its opposite free ends for movin theailerons of an aeroplane,

